Inhil Lauthdryn
Inhil Lauthdryn, nicknamed "Hurler-of-Stars", was a mage of the 13th century DR and held the position of Magister from 1282 to 1294 DR. Description & Personality Inhil was a tall man, grim of mood and little spoken. However, he was friendly, gentle, and performed many kind deeds. Nevertheless, he also greatly enjoyed enormously destructive magic, huge, swift, blasting spells that could obliterate a castle or crack a mountain. This hobby earned him his nickname, "Hurler-of-Stars". Despite this, he had little wish to kill or maim anyone, and would sooner destroy an empty keep than one full of people. History Following the death of Ohland Grethgar, the former Magister, in the Year of Many Mists, 1282 DR, Azuth, god of wizards, offered the position to Inhil Lauthdryn. Inhil accepted the post. In his time, the Hurler-of-Stars destroyed many castles and city walls, leaving them in ruins. These deeds made him widely feared by those who actually owned castles and cities, and ofted spied upon by others. Some sent assassins after him, while others sent envoys begging him to defend their ruler and castle against their rivals. Inhil knocked back all proposals, stating firmly "The might of the Magister is not for sale." As Magister, Inhil subtly aided young mages by "accidentally" leaving behind a spellbook or coffer full of scrolls. Finally, in the Year of Deep Moon, 1294 DR, Inhil Lauthdryn went to the land of the Vast to bring not one, but two villainous mages to justice. After Muaralygrym the Dark unleashed his murderous gargoyles on Ravens Bluff to steal all the wondrous ''Tears of the Dragon'' shed by Tlanchass Hailstorm over the death of Archveult Tattercloak, wizards of that city summoned Inhil Lauthdryn to help. Inhil explained to the Ravenians that Archveult's base lay somewhere in the Vast, "in a low place, not in a high place". Muaralygrym had already fled the city and hid himself with magic, but folk believed he was still in the Vast. So Inhil Lauthdryn ventured alone into the lands east of Ravens Bluff to find and confront Muaralygrym the Dark. Inhil had another reason for going to the Vast. The rogue archmage Glaragama Dunrohiyr of Calaunt had slain some twenty archmages and stolen their magic, and had named and vowed to kill four more. Inhil reluctantly decided to bring her to justice, or destroy her. He also went alone to the lands of the Vast after her. What happened next was a mystery. A trap had been set for Inhil, and other, unidentified parties were involved. Nevertheless, Inhil battled both foes. In Ravens Bluff, the day after Inhil left, the ground shook and then pieces of one of his staffs fell from the sky. Several days later, the next Magister, Aralagath Tarsil (chosen by Azuth) arrived to report that Lauthdryn had defeated Muaralygrym at the cost of his own life, falling somewhere close to Ravens Bluff, between the city and the mountains. Later, upon a burned and blasted knoll, the ashes of one of Inhil's staffs were discovered. Some believed that Glaragama had possessed some means of summoning many dragons and that they'd swooped and unleashed all their dragon-breaths upon Inhil. It was also thought that Inhil had used a spell that bound Glaragama to himself, so that she suffered the same doom. Possessions Lauthdryn possessed two magical staves. One was described to have raw magical power crackling and crawling along it. Both were destroyed along with him. He also had a custom bag of holding that functioned as a closet he could access from anywhere. It contained numerous supplies, including spare clothes and boots; food and drink; a variety of everyday items of practical use, such as kettle, cauldron, chamberpot, rope and pulley and hook, kindling, and so on. It also contained a number of spellbooks, magic items, several rods, and his two staves. The doors were fastened with a peg that was actually a wand of wonder that would go off if not given the correct deactivating word. Creations Inhil Lauthdryn created the following spells, for the purposes of massive destruction and obscuring his magical work: * "shimmer script" * towerfall * stone fountain. Appendix Notes * There is a noticeable contradiction in the published lore regarding Inhil Lauthdryn's fate, with similar events but different foes. In The City of Ravens Bluff, he goes into the Vast to find and defeat Muaralygrym the Dark, both die in battle, and his staff rains down over Ravens Bluff. In Secrets of the Magister, he goes into the Vast to find and defeat Glaragama Dunrohiyr, both die in battle, and his staff is found burned on a knoll. Secrets of the Magister states that the information presented there may not be accurate, and could in fact be mistaken. * The issue was confirmed as a deliberate mystery by Ed Greenwood, author of both sources. He explained "Quite a bit more of interest still to be revealed, but to reassure scribes for the nonce, it is the same Lauthdryn fighting in both, there was a trap, others as yet unrevealed were involved, and there were TWO staves to provide burnt remnants in two places…" * Based on this information, this article attempts to present the most likely sequence of events, in a merged account, though the accuracy remains unclear. References Category:Males Category:Mages Category:Magisters Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn Category:Inhabitants of Toril Category:Inhabitants